Reckless
by CarelessColor
Summary: (-Short Story-) Lily has always hated James... but how will she react when she believes his life is in danger?


---This is not my best work... but it's not terrible---

Oh yeah, and all the characters are based on those in the book by J.K. Rowling. She owns them. Some movie company probably also owns them... but I'm not going to go there.

Okay, on with the story...

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She never in a million years would have imagined the scenario playing out before her very eyes... never could have fathomed partaking in it. Truthfully, up until that very moment, she never would have. She would have ignored the nagging of her conscience and walked right on past, pretending that she hadn't seen what she had. But, instead of ignoring, Lily found herself barely thinking, and instead running to the aid of the one person she could honestly say she loathed: James Potter. She didn't know why she bothered... and as she ran towards the whomping willow she pictured it in her mind his ungrateful arrogant face, the one that had always made her sick her her stomach, not even bothering to thank her for saving his life (if they even both came out of this alive). It was his carelessness that got him into these messes she was always hearing about... and somehow he always ended up on the better end... unintentionally saving the school from whatever peril lay before it. Well, she was sick of the way people worshipped the ground that James Potter walked on, sick of the way he treated that wretch, Snape, but mostly, just sick of him and his little group, the 'Marauders', and the way they acted like they owned the school.  
For a moment she hesitated in her running. Why the hell was she bothering to help the cocky arsehole? The way he tried to play the good boy whenever she walked into the room, the nerve of that jerk! But would the world really be a better place without James Potter? And the answer that her quick mind spat back at her was 'No... no matter how much you dislike him, he doesn't deserve to die'. She quickened her pace. 'And you'd miss him' her inner voice whispered. She hated herself for that thought, but managed to push it to the back of her brain and just concentrate on the task at hand.  
Finally she came upon the clearing surrounding the willow. It was thrashing about, as usual. Off to the side of it, just barely out of the reach of the crushing branches, was James. He was facing what looked to be a werewolf... and he didn't look worried. 'That arrogant little brat! Trying to reason with a werewolf!' The werewolf had it's back legs tensed, ready to pounce. Without thinking, Lily cried, "Stupefy!" and pointed her wand at the beast. It wavered for a moment, stunned by the spell, and then shook it off and turned its head towards her. She suddenly realized what she had just done. She had diverted it's attention from James to herself. She began to run, but it was on her in seconds. Sharp claws dug into her upper arm as she fell, bruising what seemed like every bone in her body. She closed her eyes, the werewolfs panting mouth inches from her face... when suddenly it's weight was thrown off of her.  
Her eyes shot open, in time to see a magnificent stag driving the snarling werewolf into a space beneath the whomping willow. When every inch of the animal was out of view, she began to breathe easy again and she sat up, her eyes searching everywhere for James.  
The stag trotted over to her, tossing its head proudly. She squinted up at it. 'It can't be...' As she watched, the stag morphed back into James. Her mouth opened in disbelief, and then she scowled. "Dumbledore will have to suspend you for that! An animagus! Honestly, what nerve you have, James Potter! You arrogant, self-centered, good-for-nothing---"  
"Will you shut up for a moment?!" James said sternly. She stopped talking and glared at him. He knelt down to inspect her, his hands carefully peeling back the shreds of her robe where the sleeve was torn. She protested, but stopped when she saw the deep gash from the werewolf's claws had dug into her. Immediately pain rushed up from her arm and she bit her lip. James shook his head, "You shouldn't have gotten involved."  
"I saved your life, you conceited prick!" Lily spat, trying to fend him off as he attempted to pick her up.  
"I'm taking you to get patched up; stop squirming!" He ordered. She grudgingly did as he said and even wrapped her arms around his neck to support herself in his arms. "Anyway," he began, making their way back towards the castle, "what you actually did was interrupted something I could have handled on my own, and got yourself injured, too. That was reckless, Lily... and stupid, if you mean to keep up the pretense that you hate me. You almost made me think for a moment that you don't wish me dead."  
"Don't get your hopes up," she grumbled.  
Instead of entering the castle through the main doors, James approached a statue right below one of the Transfiguration classroom's windows. The statue was about a foot tall, and made entirely of marble. Lily noticed that it was in the shape of a male lion roaring.  
James reached out and gently stroked the lion's left ear. A stone panel in the wall slipped aside, and James made his way inside, all the while carrying Lily in his arms. Inside was a passageway large enough to stand in. James and Lily were completely silent.  
Eventually, they reached what seemed like another wall, but it was too dark to tell. James said, loudly and clearly, "Riddlediddledee". The wall swung forward, and as they emerged through the other side Lily could see that they had come through a painting. It swung shut behind them. Lily looked around the room they had emerged in.  
"This is the room of requirement. It's a room that sort of... meets your needs. There are many entrances all around the castle if you know where to look. But it's incredibly hard to enter. Through that passage is the only fail-safe way we've found." James explained, setting her down on the bed.  
"We?" Lily asked.  
"Sirius, Remus, Peter, and I. We make it our business to know our way around."  
"I see."  
"You're lucky that's not a bite," James nodded towards the gash in her arm, "or you'd be howling at the moon before long. Look, here's some ointment and bandages, let me see that war wound of yours."  
"Why didn't you take me to the infirmary?" Lily asked as James cleaned her cut.  
"Because Madame Pomfrey would ask questions, and we'd have to tell her about..." he hesitated, "the wolf."  
"Why is that a bad thing? She'd tell Dumbledore and he'd make sure it was off the grounds in no time, which is where a wolf like that should be... where it can't harm students."  
"It's complicated." James stated, and his tone didn't invite any questions. "There, good as new."  
Lily looked down at her bandaged arm. "Thank you." she said softly. James looked up from the bandages and into her eyes. Then without a word he leaned forward and kissed her. She went rigid, horrified at the gesture coming from someone she had never liked. Then her entire body relaxed and she melted into the kiss, letting herself sink into the feeling of his arms around her. Finally she broke the kiss, pulling out of his grasp and straightening her clothing. She walked towards the door and as she turned the knob, she looked back over her shoulder to where a disheveled James sat on the bed. "This doesn't mean I like you," She said matter-of-factly. Then she walked out the door, letting it close behind her.


End file.
